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Deconstruction Review of Fringe, Episode 21, Season 2, Over There, Part 1

Posted by Karl Withakay on May 13, 2010

As usual, an episode synopsis can be found over at Scott’s Polite Dissent.

Kind of a Short Deconstruction Tonight

Maybe there wasn’t as much to Deconstruct, or maybe I’m just too burned out from work today, but I’m hoping for more material from the second part of this episode next week.

Maybe I Just Have a Thing For Brunettes…

But Oliviaternate is way hotter than our Olivia. Between the brunette hair, the leather jacket, and the ballsier attitude and manner of Oliviaternate, I’ll take her over our Olivia any day. She’s probably smarted too. (She can’t be any less bright, can she?)

1983 Silver Clad Nixon Dollar

The reverse of the Nixon Dollar shown in the episode was same as the 1975-76 Bicentennial Dollar from out universe. The slightly two toned silver color edge of the dollar indicates it is of (or similar to) the silver clad composition, used only for collector issue dollars in our universe, and last made in 1976. (Half Dollars in silver clad composition were issued for circulation from 1965-1970) The traditional size dollar coin was last minted for circulation in 1978, though commemorative, traditional size 90% silver dollars were brought back beginning in 1983 for the ‘84 Olympics Coins. Also, in our universe, no living person may be featured on an American coin, so either the alternate universe does not have that law, or Richard Nixon was already dead in 1983 over there.

Non-Product Placement?

That touch-screen surface table in Colonel Broyle’s office isn’t science fiction, it’s reality. I’m flabbergasted that they didn’t hit us over the head with a Microsoft logo. What a missed opportunity for a blatant product placement!

You Didn’t Think We’d Never Hear Form Them Again, Did You?

It seemed likely we’d see the surviving cortexiphan children again; the show made too much of a point of showing them being delivered to Massive Dynamic at the end of their featuring episodes.

Why Not Just Throw in a Mention of Aliens While We’re at It?

Walter:

“You know Belle and I always agreed that that primal part of the brain which allows us to cross universes is also responsible for a host of paranormal activities- Pyrokinesis, telepathy, thought control- and that we all had these abilities until, ‘till there was a moment in history when something was done to us and, and it was shut down. I suspect aliens.”

What, no mention of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or ghosts? :)

Let’s Not Overuse Our Super Powers Right Before We Need to Really Use Them, OK?

“You’ve got to know something. What the hell is wrong with us?”

“Oh, I suspect that something that somehow the human circuit is flawed. Did any of you engage in extreme use of your abilities last night- far more than normal?”

tgnosaid

RicSantiagosaid

You said:
“That touch-screen surface table in Colonel Broyle’s office isn’t science fiction, it’s reality. I’m flabbergasted that they didn’t hit us over the head with a Microsoft logo. What a missed opportunity for a blatant product placement!”
Ok, they lost that opportunity, but observe time index 07:20, when Walter is in his lab, after watching the northwest passage security footage. See the Windows logo on the back of the monitor? As you’ll never find an operating system logo behind a monitor, that’s obviously a mkt action (maybe could call it a merchandising).

Another thing that got my attention were the changes in the opening title sequence, where they used a red background and replaced the previous screen 2 “parallel universe” subject with “first people”. Does that mean indigenous inhabitants? Why would “first people” be a fringe subject?